A government-proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$38.95 billion) special defense budget is the most comprehensive among competing proposals, as it supports long-term domestic weapons production, Minister of National Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday, adding that the US is unlikely to accept the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus’ proposed NT$380 billion version.
The US places great importance on Taiwan’s special defense budget review, and “if we are unwilling to take on our defense responsibilities, America’s Indo-Pacific strategy would be severely undermined — something the US cannot accept,” Koo said at a joint meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and Finance Committee to begin reviewing the special defense budget bills proposed by the Cabinet, the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
Yesterday’s session focused on questioning defense officials about the proposed measures, while a clause-by-clause review of each bill is scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday, according to the legislature’s agenda.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The NT$1.25 trillion proposal put forward by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government is the “most comprehensive,” Koo said, urging lawmakers to pass it.
One major difference between the Cabinet’s version and those proposed by the KMT and the TPP is that, aside from financing purchases of US-made weapons already approved by Washington, it also covers weapons that can be manufactured locally — in particular, 200,000 uncrewed aerial vehicles and more than 1,000 uncrewed surface vehicles, Koo said.
The two opposition parties have criticized the Cabinet’s proposal for including the domestic production programs in the Cabinet’s eight-year special budget from this year to 2033, labeling it fiscally irresponsible and arguing that they could be funded through the annual general budget.
Koo said that acquiring drones through the annual general defense budget would only meet the military’s needs on a year-to-year basis and would not support the long-term development of the local drone industry.
Taiwan’s defense requires more than just 200,000 drones, he added.
By introducing a long-term, multiyear special defense budget, the government would give local drone manufacturers greater incentive to set up production lines in Taiwan and encourage more companies to invest in the sector, Koo said.
In the long run, this approach could help Taiwan build its own “non-red” supply chain, especially as China dominates the global drone market, he added.
Meanwhile, Koo said that a September delivery date for the first of 66 F-16V jets Taiwan purchased from the US is “feasible.”
Asked by KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) when Taiwan could receive its much-delayed F-16Vs, Koo initially said the first aircraft could be delivered in the third quarter of this year.
Pressed further by Lai on whether it could arrive in September, Koo replied: “We estimate that timeline is feasible.”
Koo said that 59 F-16Vs are currently on the assembly line in the US, and that testing takes time.
If testing of the first aircraft proceeds smoothly, it could be delivered [flown back to Taiwan] in the third quarter, he said.
The defense ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Taiwanese officials were shown the first of the 66 aircraft during a visit to the US last week.
Additional reporting by Huang Chin-hsuan
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